


Don't Know You

by platonic_boner



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Important Question, M/M, anyways this time the soulmate connection is that they can talk in their minds, how many soulmate fics is too many soulmate fics?, not that that would stop me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23739427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/platonic_boner/pseuds/platonic_boner
Summary: Arthur can't wait to meet the voice inside his head.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 66
Kudos: 1724





	Don't Know You

**Author's Note:**

> So, apparently I take prompts now! This is for a prompt from Ashlynn, who wanted a soulmate AU based on the song “IDK You Yet” by Alexander 23.
> 
> If you want to give me a prompt for a short fic, I’m on [tumblr](https://vegan-hermione.tumblr.com)! I won’t promise it’ll be filled quickly, well, or quite honestly, at all, but if that doesn’t put you off, prompt away!

Arthur all but collapses into his bed.

“Get _out_ ,” he snaps at the servant still scurrying around his room, Geoff or George or something.

“At once, sire,” comes the quick reply, and a moment later the door closes and Arthur’s left in blessed silence.

Arthur lets out a groan. He hurts all over from a long day of training. It’s only been a month since Father announced Arthur was old enough to train with the knights, instead of with the pages and squires who are his age. It’s been… challenging, but today was especially bad. Arthur took a blow to the leg early on that slowed him down throughout the day.

The worst part was that Father stopped by the practice courts near the end of the day, and saw Arthur lose three matches horribly quickly. Over dinner, Father had recounted Arthur’s mistakes, and finished off the humiliating tirade by telling him, “Perhaps you ought to go back to fighting against the other little boys.”

Arthur sighs and scrubs at his eyes. He takes a breath and focuses on nothing.

Well, not nothing, but the tenuous, almost-nothing thing in his head. The strange link that lets him talk to Merlin.

Or, as Arthur thinks in darker moments, to the imaginary friend he’s named Merlin. But he’s nearly sure Merlin is real.

_Are you there?_ Arthur asks.

There’s a moment or two of silence, and then the link springs into life. _I’m here_ , Merlin says.

_Good,_ Arthur replies. It’s hard to stop himself from saying what he’s really thinking when he’s inside of his own head, so he ends up adding, _I missed you_.

_It’s been less than twenty-four hours,_ Merlin retorts, although it’s affectionate.

That isn’t exactly what Arthur meant, although it’s true he misses Merlin more when he isn’t talking to him. But he also misses Merlin constantly, every moment of every day, even though he’s never met him. It feels like he’s missing a piece of himself, to not have Merlin beside him.

But he’s not _saying_ any of that.

_So you were counting the minutes?_ Arthur returns.

_You’re such a prat,_ Merlin says.

Arthur grins. He loves talking to Merlin, largely because he’s never told Merlin who he is. He’s told him _some_ things, of course - that he lives in Camelot, that his mother is dead, and that his father is training him to take over the family business - he just hasn’t mentioned that his father is the king, and the family business is ruling Camelot.

Merlin thinks Arthur’s a normal person, just like him, and it’s _fantastic_.

*

They’ve been talking to each other for as long as Arthur can remember - even before Arthur realized there was anything odd about it. When he did realize, he spent a few years terrified he might somehow be using magic without meaning to. Now, Arthur and Merlin have come to the unspoken agreement that they’re almost definitely soulmates.

It’s wonderful having this connection, but Arthur wants - needs - _more_. He doesn’t just want to talk to Merlin in his head - he wants to talk to him for real. He doesn’t want to listen to Merlin say “I’d hug you so hard if I were there” - he wants Merlin to actually hug him. And he wants to know absolutely everything about Merlin, from the colour of his eyes to what his smile looks like to what he likes and dislikes.

He wants, someday, to take Merlin on a date, and look into his eyes, and actually see him smile, and kiss him.

_Guess what_ , Merlin says one night.

_What?_ Arthur asks. _What sort of exciting things happen on a farm? Did one of the chickens lay_ two _eggs?_

_No,_ Merlin says. _Way better. I’m coming to find you._

_What?_ Arthur repeats. _Really?_

_Really,_ Merlin says, and Arthur can barely hear the huge smile in Merlin’s voice over the furious pounding of his own heart. _I’ll see you soon, Arthur._

*

A few days later, Arthur’s throwing knives in practice when some peasant boy steps on his target and tells him, “That’s enough.”

“What?” Arthur demands, because nobody can speak to him like that.

Well, almost nobody.

“You’ve had your fun, my friend,” the boy continues.

“Do I know you?” Arthur demands.

“Uh, I’m Merlin,” the boy says, holding out his hand.

Arthur’s already got his mouth open to say, “So I don’t know you,” but that makes him pause. “Merlin,” he repeats.

“Yeah. And you are?”

Arthur doesn’t answer; he’s too busy concentrating on the link in his head. He doesn’t normally do this in daylight, let alone with other people around, but…

_Merlin?_ he asks.

_Busy_ , comes his Merlin’s distracted answer, as the Merlin in front of him looks briefly vacant.

Yeah. They’re definitely the same Merlin.

“Busy trying to get into a fight with _me_ ,” Arthur tells him, grinning hugely.

Merlin looks gloriously confused. It’s just as good a look on him as righteously pissed off was a moment ago. Arthur happily catalogues the exact shade of Merlin’s eyes and the way his eyebrows furrow as he watches Merlin figure it out.

“ _Arthur?_ ” Merlin asks finally.

“ _Prince_ Arthur,” Arthur says. He adds, _And I’m going to have to put you in a headlock now. For appearances._

“ _Prince_?” Merlin squawks. “You didn’t tell me - ”

Arthur puts an arm around his neck and squeezes.

Merlin squeaks in indignation. “Hey!” he whines.

“I could have you put in jail for speaking to me like that,” Arthur threatens.

“Sounds tyrannical,” Merlin retorts. He adds, _This feels more like a hug than a headlock._

Arthur squeezes him a bit tighter, and then shoves him away. “Get lost,” he orders.

“Yes, _sire!_ ” Merlin says, in the most disrespectful tone Arthur’s ever heard.

Arthur loves it.

*

Arthur’s not surprised to find Merlin waiting for him later. He _is_ surprised that he finds Merlin in his chambers, lying on his bed.

“How did you get in here?” he asks, frowning at the door behind him, which should’ve been locked.

“Magic,” Merlin says.

“No, really,” Arthur says. People shouldn’t be able to just break into his chambers - it would be a problem if someone more dangerous than Merlin could get in here.

Merlin sits up on the bed, twisting his hands, with a nervous expression. It doesn't look like a good nervous - like the way Arthur’s feeling, at finally meeting in person - but a bad, anxious sort of nervous.

_Oh._ Well, that explains a lot. Arthur’s always known there was something magical about the way he could communicate with Merlin. He was never afraid of it - it just seemed _right_ \- and he isn’t afraid of Merlin now.

_I know I should have told you,_ Merlin rushes to say. _It’s just, you treated me like I was normal, and I didn’t want that to change._

_I get it,_ Arthur says. And he _does._ And he doesn’t mind, because it’s still _Merlin._ He may not have met Merlin before today, but he still feels like Merlin’s his other half, like something Arthur had been missing his entire life is finally here beside him.

Arthur realizes they’re just staring at each other, and clears his throat.

“Well, are you going to hug me back or not?” he asks.

“I thought that was a headlock,” Merlin reminds him with a smirk, even as he scrambles off the bed and crosses the room towards Arthur.

“I’ll show you a headlock,” Arthur says, even as he pulls Merlin into a proper hug.

Having Merlin in his arms, feeling his heartbeat, is even better than Arthur imagined. He can’t wait to get to know him in person.


End file.
